The
15th Hole of the Carnmoney Golf and Country Club had been plagued
with drainage problems since the construction of the golf course.
Developed from an old streambed, the 15th hole is located in a natural
drainage area in which the existing water table was within two feet
of the fairway turf. Soil makeup in the area is medium plastic clay
with high silt content which created a waterbed effect during heavy
to moderate rains.

The challenge
was to provide a drainage system that could lower the water table
and provide rapid drainage of the fairway during rainfall events
giving members a dry, playable surface.

The solution
addressed three main drainage issues concerning
the 15th fairway.

Isolating the fairway from runoff from surrounding areas.

Lowering the water table

Providing quick surface drainage during rainfall events

The entire drainage
system was conducted with no interruption of play for club members.

Part of the
solution involved the installation of 2000 linear feet of 12 inch
Multi-Flow in a modified herringbone pattern. The Multi-Flow was
inserted into an 18” deep and 6” wide trench, and then
backfilled with coarse sand on both sides. Each of the Multi-Flow
runs was tied into a graduated 4” to 6” central drain
line which emptied into a water hazard.

A heavy rainfall
occurred within a few days of the Multi-Flow installation and areas
on the 15th fairway that previously collected water, did not. The
fairway remained playable for the duration of the rainfall without
significant pooling of water.

In
summary, by solving the 15th hole drainage problems, members of
Carnmoney Golf and Country Club continue to enjoy a consistent and
reliable playing turf, even after rainfall.